Holding Together
by hardshocker2
Summary: A simple connection can mean so much more, even if you don't know it yet.
1. Chapter 1

"It's been like two hours, Weiss! Can't we take a break yet?" Ruby complained out loud. It wasn't a very uncommon thing for Ruby to do. Weiss knew studying wasn't exactly Ruby's strongest trait but she was worried the hyperactive girl would fall behind too much to recover. It wasn't like Ruby couldn't understand the work but she didn't exactly have a habit of paying attention in class.

"You're still two whole pages behind me, Ruby," Weiss explained. "We can't get distracted if you want to have tomorrow's work ready to turn in."

Ruby let out a sound of frustration and threw herself backwards to lay on top of Weiss' collection of soft pillows. Some papers slid off their perch as the bed shifted under Ruby's weight. Weiss wanted to be annoyed but she was used to how Ruby behaved during their study sessions. Plus, Ruby made the house Weiss lived in not seem as empty or lonely when she was here. Weiss' parents were never home and the only people that did show up were only there to clean what little mess would accumulate. Not that Weiss made much of a mess. If anything, Ruby would be the cause of things like crumbs in the kitchen or blankets being left around completely unfolded. Weiss didn't mind though. Right now, she was just worried about getting the girl to do her work.

"Ruby. Come on. It's only a little bit more before you're done." Weiss said in hopes of convincing Ruby.

Ruby groaned at the idea. "My brain is so tired though! They just keep giving us more and more work."

Weiss almost agreed with Ruby. "I know, Ruby. Your grade has dropped to a 'C' though which means you really need to finish this before you start failing."

"I know, I know!" Ruby said before rolling over and burying her face in Weiss' pillows.

"Ruby…" Weiss said softly, trying to coax the girl out of hiding.

Ruby turned her head to the side to look at Weiss. "Please, Weiss. Let's just take a break for a little while. Please?" Ruby pleaded.

"We've already wasted enough time, Ruby. It's just a little mo…" Weiss stopped her argument when she felt Ruby's hand grab her own. It was like a small spark to Weiss. She didn't know why Ruby did it but it was a new connection for Weiss. One look at Ruby while this went on was a bad idea. Her face looked like she was pleading with Weiss and she couldn't resist. "Fine. We can take a bit of a break, okay?"

Ruby's face changed to a wide smile before giving Weiss' hand a squeeze. "Yes! Thanks Weiss!"

Weiss resisted a smile herself and let herself fall back into her own pillows. She felt Ruby try to pull her hand away from Weiss' but she held onto it firmly. It was a new connection that Weiss didn't want to lose just yet.

"Weiss?" Ruby said from Weiss' side. She turned her head to look at Ruby and saw a confused look.

Weiss went back to looking at the ceiling. "I just want us to stay like this for a bit. Is that okay?"

There was some shifting on the bed and Weiss felt Ruby get closer to her. Ruby shifted her hand so her's and Weiss' fit together better. She was really warm, Weiss found out. One last time, Weiss turned her head to figure out what Ruby was doing. What she saw was a very nervous looking face that seemed almost embarrassed of what she did. Like a child being found raiding the cabinets for sweets.

"Is this okay, Weiss?" Ruby asked, quickly and quietly.

Weiss took a moment to think. A moment to enjoy the warmth. "It's okay, Ruby."

A small smile showed up on Ruby's face before the girl looked away. "I like this…" She said before shifting some more and putting her head on Weiss' shoulder. Weiss turned her head back to the ceiling. She liked it too but she didn't want to admit it. For now, she was just comfortable with what was happening at this moment in time. She didn't fully understand it, but does that matter? That answer wasn't important to her.

* * *

This arrangement continued on for a few weeks. Them studying always ended up with them together in some shape or form. Whether it be on the bed like the first time or bundled together on the couch enjoying a movie that Ruby wanted to watch. Their hands would tangle together and Ruby would let herself rest against Weiss. Nothing more ever happened. Weiss honestly didn't know what to think of it at all.

She would find that she would be looking forward to their alone time. Even excited sometimes. Ruby would be excited too. To the point where even at school she would find moments where she could secretly hold Weiss' hand or a hug that would last just slightly too long in a hidden corner. One like where they were now.

Ruby had her arms wrapped around Weiss and head buried into her neck. The younger girl's weight had pushed Weiss against the wall that was around the corner from the library. No one walked by here during this time. Either they would be in class or at the cafeteria eating lunch. Weiss kind of wanted to go eat something herself but the way Ruby held onto her made it seem like this was more important.

"Is something wrong?" Weiss asked while Ruby continued to squeeze her.

There was a shake of Ruby's head. "I'm fine, Weiss. I just wanted something to relax me since school is busy and stressful."

Weiss believed her. She had noticed Ruby's grades going up lately and Ruby tended to work a lot harder during their study sessions together. Weiss recalled yesterday when Ruby came running up excited about passing her statistics test despite all of her complaining the night before. It was even an "A" which pushed her overall grade back up. Weiss was legitimately proud of this currently clingy person. Maybe she would let Ruby hold on for just a little bit longer.

For Ruby's sake obviously…

* * *

Nothing broke the silence of Weiss' empty house more than the sound of her phone ringing in the middle of the night. It was the night before the weekend so Weiss was looking forward to being able to sleep in. She had no idea who would even be calling her so late. Her parents would know better than to call during the night and the only person who does call her is Ruby who, Weiss assumed, would be wanting to sleep in just as much if not more.

Yet, her name was there, bright as can be on the screen. Ruby was calling Weiss just after midnight. She wanted to guess what this was about but Weiss didn't like the idea of making Ruby wait.

"Yes, Ruby?" Weiss answered.

"Hey Weiss…" Ruby said. It didn't sound as cheerful as Weiss expected.

"Is everything okay?" Weiss asked, almost too quickly.

Ruby huffed on the other end of the line. "I couldn't sleep."

"Something wrong?" Weiss asked yet again, hoping for an explanation.

"I'm lonely… " Ruby explained. "Dad and Yang went out of town to see Yang's mom and I'm stuck here."

Weiss felt a pang in her chest. "I can stay up and talk with you," Weiss offered.

"Actually.." Ruby started. "I was going to ask if I could stay with you tonight…"

That actually made Weiss stop and think for a moment. Ruby had never stayed too late when she came over for studying. She would always excuse herself before it got dark and walk home. Weiss always worried about Ruby when she did that. But now, she was worried about Ruby regardless. It wasn't normal for her to be so down. "Okay, Ruby. You can stay the night."

"Thanks, Weiss. I'll be over in a little bit," was all Ruby said before quickly hanging up the phone.

Fifteen Minutes. Fifteen minutes was all it took for Ruby to reach Weiss' home. Their houses were close enough that it would only take Ruby normally thirty minutes to walk between them. Ruby didn't walk this time apparently. The doorbell surprised Weiss from her worry filled head. She wasn't expecting Ruby to show up so soon. Opening the door for her showed Weiss that maybe Ruby should have been here sooner.

Ruby's breathing was heavy and slightly ragged. Her hair disheveled and she still wore her sleep wear. The worst part, in Weiss' opinion, was Ruby's eyes. They were extremely red and worn. She had been crying. Ruby had been crying. Something had made this extremely happy girl fall into tears. As Ruby quietly walked in the house, a feeling overwhelmed Weiss. A mix of anger and sadness. Before she could even argue with her own brain Weiss had grabbed Ruby and pulled her into the most comforting embrace she could manage.

"What happened, Ruby?" Weiss asked.

Ruby immediately latched onto Weiss. "I just keep thinking about Yang and her mom…"

Weiss started a small circle on a Ruby's back. "Talk to me, Ruby."

"She always gets excited.." Ruby began. "Yang will talk about it for a few days. About seeing her. Then she comes back mad or angry with her… She'll complain about something that happened between them. I listen every time… but it hurts to listen to." Weiss could feel the tell tale shaking of sobs starting within Ruby.

"Let it out…" Weiss said.

"She… she at least gets the chance… to see her mom…" There was a feeling of wetness on Weiss at this point. "I don't get that… I can't… I can't ever…"

Weiss finally figured out where this was coming from. Ruby had mentioned her mother before but only briefly. "Shhhh… You don't have to keep going, Ruby."

Ruby continued anyway through her sobs. "I just… why didn't I…why…" The girl's crying finally taken over to the point where she couldn't keep talking. Weiss led her over to the living room couch. At this point Ruby wouldn't let Weiss go. Weiss didn't want to let her go but it made sitting down difficult. Eventually Weiss managed to lay down as Ruby fell down into her.

They stayed like that for a long time. With each tear that fell and each sob that shook through Ruby into Weiss, Weiss realised that the times they shared together was not just to make themselves feel good. Weiss wanted nothing more than to do everything she could to not let this moment happen again.

"It'll be okay, Ruby. I can't fix everything but… if you want… I can do my best to help you through this and anything else… even in the future." Weiss said, struggling to put what she felt into words.

Ruby's crying quieted down enough to let her push out two words. "Thanks, Weiss…"

Her crying continued on for most of the night until she fell asleep. Weiss on the other hand stayed awake through the night. She made sure Ruby stayed asleep and safe, never letting go. This was a connection that she didn't want to let go of.


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss felt so tired as morning started showing its head. Ruby had, thankfully, slept soundly through the night. Her breathing stayed steady as she lay against Weiss' chest. Weiss almost couldn't believe this peaceful sleeper was the girl who had ran to Weiss' house in the middle of the night while having a misery filled breakdown. She almost didn't want to remind herself of it. That was a sight and memory that caused a pain in her chest. Even the feeling of running her fingers through Ruby's hair wasn't too much of a distraction from that.

It was finally morning though, which meant her job of keeping her safe was completed for now. Now it was time for her to rest her own eyes…

* * *

When Weiss woke up she immediately felt a lot colder than she remembered despite the new blanket that had been draped over her. Another second of shaking the sleep away gave her brain enough time to realize why she felt like it was colder. Ruby was missing.

She sat up quickly and threw the blanket to the ground before craning her neck around, hoping to quickly find Ruby. The girl wasn't anywhere in the living-room as far as Weiss could tell. "Ruby?" Weiss called out in hopes that Ruby would respond. She heard something metal fall from the direction of her kitchen.

"Weiss?" Was the response that Weiss received. Weiss felt relief rush through her at that sound. She started on her way to the kitchen, slowly picking up the scent of something cooking. After rounding the last corner Weiss found herself looking at what some might consider a mess. Ruby had flour on her hoodie that she almost always seemed to wear, even while she was dressed for sleeping it seemed. There were bowls that had batter dripping down over the sides, occasionally landing a few drops onto the normally pristine counter tops. Weiss could even see a few blueberries on the floor that hadn't been picked up yet.

Weiss would normally be a little upset with such a situation if she wasn't so confused on why it was happening. It helped a little that Ruby was giving her that shy smile that Weiss was absolutely weak to. "What are you up to?" Was all Weiss asked.

Ruby, still smiling, waved her hand over the mess she had accumulated. "Well, whenever Yang or I felt bad, we would make pancakes for ourselves or each other. Yang wasn't here so I went to do it myself…" Ruby explained. Her face turned a little red. "Plus, you were still asleep when I woke up. Sorry… about falling asleep on you like that.." She apologized.

Weiss raised a brow at Ruby's apology. "It's not like you haven't done it before, Ruby." Weiss said with a matter of fact tone. "Plus, you were so upset last night that there was no way I was going to push you away or anything of the sort." Weiss watched the shine in Ruby's eyes dull a bit at the mention of last night. That pain in her chest returned.

To help distract herself, Weiss grabbed clean rag and started cleaning what she could of the mess Ruby made. They continued with their self-imposed tasks until Ruby had a stack of pancakes half as tall as her head. A smile plastered on her face as she took in her creation and showed it off to Weiss, who couldn't help but smile at Ruby's enthusiasm. It was obvious that Ruby wanted to start eating them so Weiss gave up on her cleaning and instead grabbed the essential utensils that would allow them to actually eat them like civilized beings. She almost couldn't keep up with Ruby as she sped off back to the living room.

As Weiss finally caught up, she could see Ruby sitting down on the couch, carefully placing the stack of pancakes on the coffee table. Weiss sat next to her, handing over Ruby's share of the utensils. Ruby gave her a quick smile and started picking up her share of the pancakes. An amazing four whole pancakes were slapped onto a plate the barely had the diameter to hold them. Every single one was going to be eaten without hesitation if Weiss knew Ruby well enough. That left Weiss with two for herself. It seemed Ruby knew Weiss' eating habits as well.

"It's not too much is it, Weiss?" Ruby asked. Weiss smiled at Ruby's worry and proceeded to cut a piece out of her stack and popping it quickly into her mouth with a smile. Ruby put on a big grin before she put some of her attention to her own pancakes.

Weiss had managed to get through half of her stack before a body slumped against her side. Ruby's head landed on her shoulder, making her look over at the problem. The sight of Ruby's pancakes not even being a quarter of the way eaten made Weiss nudge the girl's head with her shoulder. "What's wrong, Ruby? I've somehow managed to eat more than you and we both know that's not how this works."

Ruby chuckled at Weiss' rare attempt at humor. "I know. I guess my feelings were bigger than my stomach this morning…" She explained.

"Still thinking about last night?" Weiss asked.

"Kinda.." Ruby replied. "I guess it takes more than some pancakes to stop feeling like crap."

The pair went quiet for a bit. Weiss knew she had no experience dealing with people's emotions. Especially when it was someone like Ruby who wore her's on her sleeves. All Weiss had ever known was to keep them guarded. The problem was that she had promised last night that she would do what she could to be there for Ruby when she needed to be. So, she decided to follow through. "Talk to me, Ruby. What are you thinking about?" Weiss asked quietly.

Ruby attempted to shrug her shoulders despite her slumped posture. "I was thinking that today must be one of my down days.."

"Down days?" Weiss had never heard that phrase from Ruby before.

"I've never really talked about it." Ruby started. "Every now and then, there are days where I just don't feel like being the happy me."

This was not how Weiss was expecting things to go. "Everyone has those days, Ruby…" Weiss explained. "Even I have those days. They don't last forever."

Ruby huffed in response. "Are they supposed to last for weeks though?"

And just like that, the feeling that pushed Weiss to comfort Ruby last night was back. Weiss turned her body to allow Ruby to slide onto her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl. She gave Ruby a comforting squeeze. "This isn't just about Yang seeing her mom, is it?" Weiss asked.

Ruby shook her head, causing some of her hair to tickle Weiss' chin. "It is but not really." Ruby explained. "I think it just caused everything to be worse. That or maybe it just keeps getting worse despite that. I don't know anymore…" Weiss didn't say anything and instead waited for Ruby to continue. "You know Blake, right? Yang's friend?"

Weiss almost nodded despite Ruby facing away from her. "Yeah. She's that dark haired girl that Yang goes to see in the library at lunch. What about her?"

Ruby slightly readjusted herself and held out her arms. "Every time I see her she has these ribbons wrapped around her wrists. They're usually black but every now and then they'll be red ones. They were like that the other day when I saw her between classes."

"What does her fashion choices have to do with anything?" Weiss asked, currently confused on why it seemed that Ruby changed the subject.

Ruby continued on despite Weiss' interruption. "I overheard Yang's conversation with her a week or so ago. I guess Yang didn't think I could hear her talking on the phone from our kitchen while she was in the living room. From what I heard, Blake hurts herself…"

Weiss could guess what that meant but she still needed to ask. "So you think she.."

"She cuts herself, yeah…" Ruby confirmed. "Those red ribbons are Blake's way of letting Yang know that it happened again." Ruby pulled her knees up so she was basically a ball of a person being pressed into Weiss.

Weiss had to ask again. "What does this have to do with you?"

"Last night, before I came over. I was just completely gone for a bit. I didn't know what to do. These feelings kept getting worse and worse. Then I thought about Blake… what she does to herself… I thought.. I thought maybe…" Ruby was struggling so hard to speak at this point. Weiss panicked though, immediately grabbing Ruby's arms and lifting them. "Weiss wait!" Ruby quickly shot out, but Weiss didn't wait. She pulled the sleeves of Ruby's hoodie down without hesitation. Ruby's arms were clean.

Weiss breathed out like she was holding a breath for hours. "Thank god.." She said without thinking.

Ruby yanked her arms free and pulled them back into her body like she was trying to protect them. "I didn't do it, Weiss." Ruby said shakily. "The only other thing I could think of was you. You had been there for me so much this last month that I called you as a last hope. If you hadn't answered…" Ruby finished, the implication of what she might have done to herself hanging in the air. Weiss was almost shell shocked. Ruby wasn't saying anything else. Probably because Weiss could hear the signs of crying coming from this obviously hurting girl in her arms. The only thing she could think of was to continue doing what she did best and proceeded to grab the forgotten blanket from the morning and wrap it around Ruby's form and herself. "W-what are you doing?" Ruby asked through her sobs.

Weiss pulled Ruby as close as she could under their shield from the outside world. "I'm terrible with feelings and talking and everything like that." Weiss started. "But I know at this point that I have to get over it." Weiss leaned her head down into the crook of Ruby's neck. "You needed me to be there for you."

"You always were, Weiss." Ruby started. "All those times we were together.."

"No!" Weiss interrupted. "We spent time being intimately close together and all, but we didn't talk about what we were feeling, Ruby. Why you were always wanting to be comforted by me or why I willingly went along with it despite everyone else knowing me as a frigid, stuck-up ice princess. We need to actually tell each other how we're feeling and I'm going to be the first one to say something."

"You don't have to…" Ruby tried again.

Weiss didn't want Ruby to brush this off though. "After these last few weeks, I started to feel like I made a real connection. That you made me feel like I was wanted. That's how I felt then. Now, I'm scared of what could have happened last night. What you could have started… But at the same time, I'm so relieved that you did call me. Happy that you trusted me that much. Please let me be that connection for you too, Ruby. So that you don't have to go through it all alone again.."

Weiss had bared her heart completely for the first time in her life. She felt completely vulnerable. That vulnerability ate at her as Ruby continued to cry, not responding at all to Weiss' confession. Her chance was rewarded though. Ruby turned herself around and began what felt like an attempt to bury herself into Weiss' own heart. "I will Weiss! I promise… I promise…" Ruby finally answered. Before Weiss could tell herself to do it, she wrapped Ruby up again in a matching embrace. Tears were pricking at her eyes thanks to the struggle of her own confession of her emotions. This was the first of many times in the future where Weiss and Ruby cried together rather than choosing to fight their own battles alone. Protecting each other despite whatever life tried to do to them.


	3. Chapter 3

Weiss wanted to be happy as she lay in her bed, wide awake, while Ruby slept soundly next to her. She wanted to enjoy it so bad but couldn't thanks to the looming due date at the end of the month. Last week, a single phone call from her mother and demand to leave this town and live with her again. It was a betrayal to the promise that Weiss didn't have to move again. She could have complained for days on end during that call but the decision was made. Because of that call, a part of Weiss' more... extreme…. feelings escaped from her head when Ruby randomly arrived at her house only two hours after it ended. Weiss wasn't having an easy time resisting but then Ruby had whispered in her ear, "Anything for you, Weiss." Her feelings finally flooded out of her. One's that she knew Ruby had returned but had rebuffed in favor of taking more time to just enjoy their friendship.

And now here they were. The school year was nearly over and trouble wanted to enter Weiss' life again. Ruby spent a night at her own house but then showed up the next day, packed up enough to spend the rest of the time they had left together before the end of the month. Weiss couldn't, and didn't want to, say no to her. Now it was night one of their last month and Weiss couldn't enjoy something as simple as sleeping next to Ruby. A restless night that made her think back to the beginning of the year and the first day she even noticed Ruby.

* * *

**Second Month of the First School Semester**

It was another day and another empty house as Weiss Schnee dropped her backpack at the door. No one could get mad at her leaving her things around if no one would show up to do it. Weiss guessed it was going to be a pretty normal and boring night. One filled with sitting at her desk and wasting her time on the internet. There wasn't anything better to do after all. Television was boring to her, her homework was finished before she left school, and it's not like there was anyone wanting to see or talk to her. Stop that. She thought to herself. There's no point in it.

She knew she was right about that. What was the point in feeling sorry for yourself if you rarely actually did anything to help your situation? Weiss sighed. Those thoughts were just going to keep happening no matter what apparently. She guessed that this is what happened when you're left alone with no one to talk to for days on end. Sure, there were others at school but they were just… around. They never bothered her because Weiss made a point to not talk with them. She didn't know them and Weiss was okay with that fact. All that was on her mind during those times was going home and getting away from them despite the fact that all that was waiting for her at home was just her lonely box of a room.

Not even the house cleaners were scheduled for today so it was just going to be a completely silent night for her. Weiss decided she was going to take advantage of the situation, like she always did anyway, and take over the master bathroom. Hopefully the large tub and a stream of mindless videos from her laptop could keep her distracted for another night.

* * *

That bath did not help her at all. Even as she walked off the bus to start the school morning she was yawning. She thought the bath would relax her enough to sleep but instead Weiss was up almost all night trying her best not to dread the next school day. The school itself wasn't bad but there were so many other people that it could be overwhelming.

Her point was even proven when she got slightly knocked to the side as a girl ran by. "Sorry!" She said quickly as she slowed down a bit to look at Weiss. Weiss just glared at her and the girl decided to keep going on her way. Her backpack was hopping up and down on her back along with the red hood of her hoodie. She was the perfect example of the exhausting people Weiss had to work to avoid all day. Thankfully, she knew where to avoid those kinds of people before classes, the library.

No one would bother her there as she studied or read through a book before classes started. There was even a group of soft chairs and a couch that students could sit at instead of a table and those hard plastic lumps the school tries to pass off as chairs. Weiss might have looked forward to the peaceful moments that reading provided if there hadn't been someone sitting in the chair that she usually occupied.

It was odd for this to happen. Since school started she had no problems walking in and taking that chair without anyone ever being there but now a girl with long black hair has taken it over. Weiss could do nothing but stand there looking at her as she tried to figure out this anomaly. Despite the girl's face being absolutely buried in her own book it didn't take long for her to notice Weiss looking at her.

"Something wrong?" The girl asked while peeking over her book.

Weiss had forgotten she was staring. "No!" She said, trying not to show her embarrassment.

The girl shot daggers at Weiss. "You were staring at me," she deadpanned.

Weiss was caught but she just doubled down. "As if!" Weiss said in a strong voice before turning away to leave. She couldn't believe the start to her day. Tired and now a confrontation with some random girl who took her chair. Sure, she could have just taken the other chair but after a moment like that she didn't want to be in the same room as that girl. She wanted to call the girl rude but even Weiss had to admit that she may have been in the wrong.

Just forget it, Weiss. She told herself. You can find somewhere else to read until class. At least, she hoped that she could.

* * *

Weiss was right, in a way, about finding that spot. Unfortunately, that spot was a short brick wall that did nothing to be comfortable. Hopefully her soreness wasn't too noticeable to her other classmates as she tried to readjust herself in this hard plastic seat. The desk that was attached didn't do much to help that task at all so she was stuck having to deal with it as class went on.

The start of Weiss' first class, Statistics, was just the teacher finishing up explaining the concept she started yesterday. While the teacher talked she also began handing out papers to the students that were at the front of the class. One by one they passed back the stack while taking one for their own. As their row's stack of papers reached Weiss she took a moment to look it over. A simple worksheet that Weiss doubted would take long for her to finish. Weiss took a paper for herself and reached back to hand the stack to the one person behind her. There was a quick mumble of thanks from whoever that was but Weiss paid it no attention as she began to push through question after question the paper challenged her with.

This subject was something Weiss didn't have much trouble understanding so she had managed to finish just over half of the questions on the worksheet before the teacher even finished her short lecture. As the teacher finished and told the class to start their own worksheets Weiss had just kept her head down and kept working without interruption instead. Until she heard some relatively loud rustling behind her. There was a groan that followed, and a second later a poke on her shoulder. It was so sudden to her that she couldn't help but turn around with a quick jerk to look at the person who poked her.

It was the girl from earlier who had pushed her. The sudden motion of Weiss turning around seemed to have made her nervous as she lifted her hands up like she was surrendering. "Sorry, sorry," she said quickly. "I just wanted to ask if I could borrow a pen or a pencil…"

Weiss gave her a quick look over. She had the same red hoodie from this morning, dark hair that looked like she dipped the ends in red hair dye and a nervous yet slightly goofy smile. Weiss decided she wasn't much of a problem and leaned over to her own backpack and pulled out one of her many backup pens and reached out to hand it over.

The girl quickly grabbed it. "Thanks Weiss! I'll give it back after class. I can get one from my sister later," she explained. Weiss almost didn't hear her as she was busy being surprised at the fact that the girl knew her name.

"It… it's fine. Just keep it," Weiss managed to say through her surprise and quickly turned back around to face her own work. The girl didn't respond and Weiss was glad for it as she was red faced at the fact that she didn't even know this girl's name herself despite being in the same class together for over a month. In fact, it just reminded her that she didn't even really know the names of most of her other classmates as well.

Weiss could only blame it on the fact that she had only moved here this year. That thought did nothing to help explain why this girl knew Weiss' name though. If Weiss thought about it logically, there could be many reasons for her to know. If anything, it was probably due to the many times the teacher called for attendance at the beginning of class. Weiss had never actually paid attention to it besides when her own name was called which she figured everyone did anyway. Maybe that wasn't the case after all.

All she could do was give her head a slight shake to hopefully push away the minor anxiety that this whole situation was causing her and get back to finishing her work. It wasn't too much of a distraction though as each question on her worksheet helped Weiss keep her mind calm and focused. It wasn't too long before the sheet was complete and waiting for the end of class to be turned in. Weiss sat back and pulled her book out to pass the rest of the time. She figured it was a suitable reward for something so mundane as finishing a math worksheet.

...Weiss felt her shoulder being shaken. She opened her eyes to see her book was still open to the same page she started on. That late night had apparently reared its ugly head. Her neck was stiff from letting her head hang for however long she was asleep. It even slightly hurt to lift her head but it let her see that the room was empty aside from their teacher sitting at her desk. Weiss turned to see who woke her up but all she saw was a red hood disappear through the door frame and out into the hall. She just huffed and went to gather her things to leave which in turn allowed her the chance to notice that the pen she gave away was laying on top of her bag.

* * *

There was a wonderful feeling of relief that flowed through Weiss' body as she managed to make it through the rest of the day without any other incidents. It was just a measly bus ride and she was literally home free. In fact, she already had her seat and was just waiting for the rest of the students to slowly pile on. The noise of people talking and laughing kept growing as each student arrived. Weiss wasn't really paying them any attention until her ears perked up at a familiar sound. She raised her eyes from her book and saw the girl with the hoodie just now getting on the bus as she talked excitedly with a tall, blond student.

As the girl got closer Weiss quickly shoved her eyes back down to her book but in the end it didn't stop her from being noticed.

"Thanks again for that pen, Weiss!" the girl chirped out at Weiss, stopping next to her.

Weiss' head quickly shot up to look at the girl. "Oh, it… it was nothing." Even Weiss was surprised at her ability to keep that sentence calm.

The two girls looked at each other for a few seconds. Weiss didn't know what was going on but the girl just had that same smile from this morning.

"Hey, you're holding up the line, Ruby!" The blond girl said loudly before giving the girl, Ruby, a small shove to move her along.

"Fine, Yang," the g… Ruby said. Weiss wanted to keep that name memorized. Ruby finally moved along, heading to the back with that Yang girl. After all of that the bus decided it was time to move on and get everyone back home.

Although, through all of the noise of the other people and the loud rumble of the bus Weiss could still hear Ruby's laugh coming from the back. Most likely that blond was a friend of hers which was an assumption based on just how much they kept talking and laughing.

Weiss actually felt a pang of jealousy at that realization. She was by herself, even in this bus seat. No one chose to sit with her despite doing nothing to keep someone from doing so. Granted, she wouldn't know what to do if that actually happened. This moment brought Weiss' plain and normal mood down back into where it was last night. Even as the bus stopped at her house, the small amount of relief at that moment did nothing for her. Instead, it was just a sigh as she lifted herself out of her seat and left.

Just like yesterday, entering her own home felt like it completely drained Weiss. It was almost like her life was on repeat every afternoon. Come in, drop her bag, distract herself for an hour or two, maybe eat a small meal or, in tonight's case, nibble a little bit on a snack, and an attempt at relaxing in a bath. In a way, she was relaxed but that didn't mean things didn't feel empty all around her. The bath only allowed her more time to remind herself over and over of that fact. Only now it was worse as her mind kept jumping back to her jealousy on the bus as she listened to Ruby laugh it up with her friends.

Weiss wanted that. So much that her chest felt like it was being put in a vice grip. Everyone made it seem so simple but stuff like that never came easy for her. Combine her terrible people skills with the new environment her parents forced on her when they moved here for her father's business. Not even her mother showed up after the first month of school. Weiss didn't even keep up with her old friends from her last school.

The vice grip only grew tighter. Weiss dipped lower into the water where maybe the warm water could relieve the pressure she felt… and hide the tears even though there was no one to hide them from.

* * *

**Present**

Weiss didn't want to go back to those terrible feelings. Not after finally getting what she had wanted. She didn't want to leave but she was having trouble even thinking straight enough to even brainstorm what she could do. Currently, all she could do was hold onto Ruby as long as the world would allow.

For now, she wanted to be happy with that.

* * *

**For anyone who might not know everything that happened in-between chapters, Ruby's side of stuff that can explain the gaps is in my story "Experiencing Experiences." Unfortunately, I can't make a series group like other websites so I have to explain it here in the notes.**


End file.
